RESERVE STRENGTH OF BRIDGE DECKS - A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION.

A computer-based method for the analysis of the elastoplastic behaviour of bridge decks leading up to failure is presented. The method is first tested against experimental data available for square slabs and then applied to the failure analysis of three slab-type bridge decks to illustrate the usefulness of the method in predicting the post-elastic reserve strength of these decks. /Author/TRRL/